(Old) Tales of Nibel - Fil
by WillTheGameDesigner
Summary: This is the old version of the Tales of Nibel. I'm currently rewriting them. It's going to be a full overhaul, while keeping the general idea. I'm also probably going to wait until I have the whole thing written out. Thank you for your patience
1. Fil and Friends

Chapter One

"Come on, Fil!" Ano yelled from the 'trail', "It's not that bad!" Ano was a strong Spirit Guardian, as they were called, although usually more refered to as just forest spirits, as they didn't actually do much guarding. Ano was one of the stronger spirits, and he looked it, too. His arms were large and toned, and his legs were no exception. He looked tough from ear tip to hoof.

Ano was standing over the edge of a pile of rocks forming what he called a path. He and a bunch of his friends claimed it would be safe. Fil didn't agree.

"Yeah, sure," Fil mumbled, as he watched his siblings walk the poor excuse of a path. "That could break at any minute. They're going injure themselves."

Fil was an intelligent spirit, and was quite skinnier than most of the other spirits. He was such a contrast to even the average spirits, not to mention Ano. You could barely tell they were even related.

In spite of his skinniness, Fil was actually quite athletic. He was quite the rock climber, and loved to climb whenever he had the chance. He just would prefer to trust rocks that were more stable.

"Oh, come on, Fil!" he continued, "It's fine! Even Ilo's up here!" That earned him a glare from Ilo.

Fil ignored Ano, and studied the valley, trying to find a better way up. He wasn't often in the Valley of the Winds, and the rocks were unfamiliar to him. He tried to find a good place to climb that would give him a nice challenge, and avoid using the dangerous rock pile they were trying to use.

He turned back to his siblings, and studied the rocks beneath them. As far as he could tell, the rocks shouldn't be supporting their own weight, not to mention a group of forest spirits. How it could stay stable with them walking around on it was a feat beyond even his knowledge.

"You're not scared of falling, are you?" It was Nir this time. Nir was a sassy girl, and was picky who she liked and who she picked on. And not only did she pick Fil as someone to pick on, but she somehow found a form of entertainment out of it.

It was at that moment that she felt the need to stomp on the ground. Fil's tension grew with each hoofstomp.

Her smile was grew as she saw his fear creep on his face. "Or are you scared of the rocks?" She jumped and stomped down with full force. The rocks knocked together, clacking loudly and releasing a billow of dust. The cloud quickly approached him, and his vision was blocked immediately. Fil's lungs filled with the particles, making him cough. He could hear some laughter over his wheezing, and faintly saw Nir and Ano doing a little celebration.

"Come on, guys," Ilo said, trying to round everyone up the path, "it's getting dark. We'll be in big trouble if we're not back soon." There were many spirits that felt the need to pick on him. At least Ilo was always kind to him. After the dust fully cleared, Fil could see the sky, confirming Ilo's statement. He turned back to studying the rock face, trying to find an optimum place to climb, which was becoming increasingly difficult in the growing darkness.

Fil never liked being out at dark, even if he _did_ glow. Creatures loved to hide in the dark spaces of the forest, and not even a forest spirit's glow would reveal them. Sure, they were always around, even at day, and he could avoid them. Mostly. But during the night? When they could hide in the open? No thanks.

The wind was also rumored to pick up at night, and it seemed such was true. Fil figured it would be best to leave now. The wind was really growing strong, and with his weight (or lack thereof), he wouldn't stand a chance.

"Well, this is lovely," Fil mumbled to himself, "Looks like I'm walking home. Alone." His anger destroyed his fear, and started his climb up the cliff, careful to avoid any loose rocks on the way up. He soon went into autopilot, and let his mind wander.

Fil needed some time to relax, and nothing did that better than a nice climb. Sure, there were caves that lead to the Spirit Tree, and it would probably be faster, but he enjoyed climbing.

Also, there were monsters in caves.

Fil shook out that idea, and continued his climb up the cliff face. If it weren't for the fact that he glowed brilliantly, he probably wouldn't risk the climb. He wondered what it was like to climb in darkness, or be in darkness in any form. He'd never seen it, and probably never would. Such a thought as being in pure darkness was baffling to him.

Fil grabbed a loose rock, which immediately came free. He had been so completely in thought, he forgot to watch for danger. Time froze as he fell, and he reached for the nearest hand-hold. He didn't dare open his eyes for several minutes, only clinging to the small stony anchor he hoped would stay put.

After a good while, and assuring himself he wasn't dead, he continued the climb. The fear of the fall dispersed quickly as he continued his trek up the valley wall. He smiled, glad to be back on a safe path.

His smile quickly faded as he watched the last of the sun disappear behind the trees. Now he had to walk in complete darkness. Well, almost.

Fil wasn't often in the Sunken Glades during this time of night, especially not out this far. He tried to avoid exploring at night. He liked to stay put where he knew he would be safe. Or at least protected by those stronger or bigger than him, which was most of the forest spirits.

It was quite beautiful at night, he observed. The gentle light of the moon was shining through the trees, and it put a gentle, calming light on everything. He loved how it shown through the canopy above and made fascinating shapes on the grass below.

As he was admiring the moonlight, he heard some rustling to his left. His thoughts were cut short, and his heart started to race. He put his arms up, and tried to put up the best fighting pose he could. It wasn't really intimidating.

Whatever was out there left, and Fil was left standing in his pose for a good half hour before he convinced himself to keep moving. It wasn't long before his thoughts carried him off again.

He turned back to the sky, but looked at the stars this time. There were so many, and he couldn't get enough of it.

Again, through his absorbing thoughts, he forgot to watch where he was going. Fil tripped over a rock, landing face first into a river. The mud of the bank squished on his face, filling his mouth and nose. He spat as he sat up in the water. After washing out the gunk, he sat for a while, watching the river's flow. His thoughts were once again swept away, completely forgetting about his destination. His mind started running slower and slower as he watched fish swim around. It wasn't long before he gave into sleep.

When Fil awoke it was light again. The trees looked quite different with the lighting change. He laid there, soaking in the sights and sounds; chirping birds, leaves rustling in the wind, and a really annoying nagging sister.

"Fil!" Nir yelled as she saw him waking up. "Where were you!?"

It wasn't what he wanted to be waking up to. He sat up, and found his left leg was asleep. He stood up, stretching it out and ignoring his sister.

"Hello? I'm right here!" she said, anger increasing.

"Sorry, I fell asleep on the way back," he said finally, testing out his leg, making sure it was still working right. He started heading toward the giant tree looming on the horizon. "I kinda had a long trip."

"So!? Dad was worried sick!" Again, he ignored her. He didn't like to be rude, but he also hated arguing with people. Nir was just one of those people you let rant, and nod occasionally to keep her going. It also gave him time to think.

"We've been looking all night for you!" Nir continued. " We had to cut our party short because of you! How did you fall asleep walking back?!" He started to let his mind wander, watching the leaves move in the breeze. He started to think about the Gumon. They were a fascinating race. They were brave, smart, and quite different from the forest spirits. They were always inventing and coming up with cool and new gadgets and gizmos. Why wasn't he one of them?

"Are you even listening to me?!" Nir's yelling broke his thought train.

"Yeah. You're mad at me for not coming home on time because it interrupted your 'precious' party." He hoped she hadn't gone off on a tangent, making his comeback make him look more guilty. But, of course, his party comment made everything else he said irrelevant.

"It's not 'just a party', as you always put it," she said with a sigh, her worried tone leaving and direct rage replacing it. "This is a special party we put on every night, and I'm ashamed you don't see it's beauty."

"Well, if it were so special, why do you have to hold it every night?" he responded.

"Because it's an extremely-"

She was cut off by the Spirit Tree: "Fil! It is a relief to see you have you back home safe!" She took this as her cue to leave. Typical. He turned back to the Spirit Tree, hoping he could ease the tension.

Fil looked at the Spirit Tree, a little nervous. He was tall and wide. His roots spread wide, and he had many spots around his trunk that glowed. His canopy was full of leaves, but showed a hint of white light, signifying new Spirit Guardians coming soon.

"Oh, hi. Yeah, sorry, I kinda, well…" He wasn't sure how to put it. It wasn't like him to spend a night in the forest, even if he _did_ accidently fell asleep.

"You are not hurt, are you?" That was always his first question. At least he was caring.

"No, no," he responded, shifting nervously in place, "just a little stiff from the sleeping on the ground."

"Really? And why were you sleeping out in the Sunken Glades? That's not like you."

"I, uh..." He hesitated to say it. It was always nerve racking admitting anything to him, even when he knew he wouldn't be mad. "I guess I lost track of time, honestly."

"Ah, is that all?" the Giant Tree said, relieved his Fil didn't cause any harm to himself.

"Yeah… Sorry to worry you," he said. He cared about him. Some of his friends saw him as a burden, but when you have free access to shelter and food, what's left to complain about?

"Not to worry, Fil. I probably shouldn't be worried so much. I know you can take care of yourself out there."

"Yeah, sure," Fil said. He didn't quite agree with him. He'd seen some of the toughest spirits come from the forest with some severe injuries. If they had it bad, he probably didn't stand a chance. Fil took that as his sign to go.

"Oh, and one more thing," the Spirit Tree said, stopping Fil in his tracks.

"Yes?" Fil said, turning, "What is it?"

"Well, I fear there is something wrong with Reem. He doesn't seem himself, and since you and him are great friends…"

"You want me to check up on him?" he finished. Reem was one of the few people that actually cared about him, aside from Ilo, of course. But Ilo cared about everyone, so that was a given.

"Yes. It's not like him to be quiet, and I fear there may be something he's not telling me. He won't talk to me, and I am hoping you can get through to him."

"Of course. I'll see him now."

"Great. Thank you so much." With that, Fil walked to Reem's favorite spot. The Spirit Tree watched him as he walked away, still worried as ever.


	2. Searching

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Fil had a hard time finding Reem. He wasn't in his usual places, which was starting to worry him. Reem knew Nibel like the back of his hand. From Mount Horu in the north, to Swallows Nest in the South, and everything in between. He practically had the whole place memorized.

With all the exploring he did, he also knew all the secret ledges and crevices that were perfect for hiding. Fil also knew all of them, since Reem would often drag him along with him, whether or not he wanted to. He had checked most of them, and couldn't find any sign of him. He decided to ask around, to see if anyone knew his whereabouts.

Fil decided to ask his chaotic sister first.

"Hey, Nir!" he yelled from the base of the Spirit Tree. Nir was often up at the top hanging with the 'cool people'. He could've climb up to get her, but he didn't like the crowd Nir usually hung out with.

"What is it?!" she yelled down, very audible despite the large distance.

"I need to talk to you!" he yelled back. He didn't need to see her face to see her rolling her eyes. Soon, she was sliding down, her hand trailing behind to stabilize her descent.

"What is it, Fil?!" she said, obviously irritated, "I'm busy planning the next party!"

"Have you seen Reem around? I'm looking for him."

"Really? He's not here?" her tone immediately changed. She looked around, not entirely convinced. "Weird. I wonder…" Nir trailed off.

"Yes?" Fil pushed, trying to get as much information as he could.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter," she said, going back to her usual 'I don't like you' attitude. "Good luck finding him, though." And with that, she was back up the mountain in no time.

Fil was a little confused. Reem and Nir were great friends. If _she_ didn't know where she was, well…

He needed to find him, and fast.

The next person who he figured would know was Ilo. Everyone knew Ilo, and vice versa. He was one of the most popular, and yet kindest spirits around. If anyone knew, it had to be him. He found him near the river bank he had fallen asleep at before.

Fil didn't have a good chance to see this place before. There were many fruit trees, and the river flowed very clean. The grass was bright and healthy, and the sand was pale, but still had an appeal to it. Not to far off, he could see one of Reem's favorite hiding spots; a small cave not to far off the river bank.

Ilo was sitting down relaxing on the river bank. Ilo was stout in all meanings of the word. But his fat made him more cuddly than anything else. He was as brave as can be, and yet had one of the kindest hearts. Fil supposed he had to be his size to fit his big heart.

"Hey, Ilo?" he said, sitting down next to him, "Have you seen Reem around?"

"Hmm, let's see," Ilo thought back through the last few days as the river splashed on his pudgy legs. "The last time I saw him, he was leaving the party from a few nights ago. From what I heard, he caused a little chaos. But, that's normal for him, of course. I didn't see what actually happened, though. I don't usually go to parties, as you know."

"Same. Did you hear anything else?" Fil asked, trying not to go too deep. If Reem really was having it tough, he didn't want to intrude where he didn't belong.

"Not that I remember. I'm just surprised he left when he did. It's not like him to leave early, especially when it was just getting started." Ilo seemed just as worried as Fil did.

"Interesting. I'll keep looking. Thanks for your help" Fil said, and waved goodbye before he headed off. He knew of one last place he could be.

The trek to Moon Grotto was a long one. Not only did Fil not like it there, but the path to get there was usually filled with danger. The path through Thornfelt Swamp was always a dangerous one. He wasn't sure why Reem ever went over here.

Fil tried to ignore the danger and just enjoy the sights. He just wish there was something fun to look at. All the trees were dark, and practically rotting. Most of the swamp was shaded, and the light that did shine through was more eerie than anything else.

He decided it would be best to focus on the objective at hand. It was hard to do when the whole swamp seemed to want his demise. He tried not to look at the dying trees. Or the putrid smell. Or the gurgling sounds.

Or the purple mass headed straight toward him.

Fil did his best to dodge the purple mass, and looked to find it's source. There, just three feet from where he stood, was a giant, purple mass of creature sticking halfway out of the ground. It scrunched down and gurgled before it launched another deadly mass.

Fil ran as soon as he saw it, and didn't bother look back. Instead he ran toward what he hoped to be right direction.

After what seemed like a marathon of running, Fil finally stopped at the mouth of the Moon Grotto. He breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn't last long as he heard another spitter behind him. He turned to see it before he quickly dashed inside.

Reem loved it there. He had this kind of ability where he could use objects as a sort of platform. He could use almost anything that moved to "bash" off of, as he called it.

There were a bunch of creatures, (like the spitter, actually), that created objects that were perfect for him. Fil figured that's why he spent so much time here. At least it gave him good practice.

The Moon Grotto was much better than the Thornfelt Swamp. No spitters, no putrid smells, just a normal cave. Although there was a bit of a strange, light blue glow about the place. It was surprisingly light, for a cavern. Fil wondered what fueled such an ominous, yet beautiful light.

He continued his search for Reem. It wasn't long before he found him in there. Fil wasn't very deep into the cavern before he spotted Reem. He was leaning against the wall of the cavern. Bright light was shining above, probably from an opening in the ceiling.

"Reem!" he called from the distance. Reem turned around, and gave a half-hearted wave in response. He didn't really seem himself, and Fil only grew more worried. Reem was soon bashing off of the hanging spiders and their projectiles to cross a pit of spikes. It wasn't long before he had reached Fil.

"Hey, Reem!" Fil said, "How's it going?" Reem just shrugged in response.

Fil sat down, inviting Reem to do the same. "What's up?"

"It's Nir," he said, "She's mad at me. I messed up real bad this time."

"Ah," Fil said, not sure what to say next. Reem was described by many as a bundle of energy, including Fil. He was always on the move, and sometimes that got him into trouble.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Reem sighed. "Well, it was at the party a couple nights ago. You know how dedicated she is about those things. I love her how dedicated she is with them." He smiled a bit before getting back to his story.

"I was just having fun, dancing around and such, before I..." He paused for a second. "...knocked down some lights."

"But you've done that many times," Fil said, confused. Nir may take her parties serious, but she also knew Reem's tendency to, well, cause chaos. He's done worse, from what he's heard.

"I've never knocked them onto her, though," Reem said, with a nervous chuckle. "I didn't stick around. I knew she'd be furious, and so I ran here. I come home every night now just so that Dad knows I'm still alive. You know how strict he can be."

"I don't think he's that strict," Fil responded.

"Well, that's because you never do anything exciting," Reem said with a smile, and gave Fil a light punch. Fil thought it was nice to see him smile again. "Well, thanks bro. I'll think I'm going to see if I can't talk to Nir again. See ya at my funeral?" He said with a wink, and bounded off with a spring in his step. Fil smiled as he watched run back home.

He was happy to see his friend back to his old self. Now he wondered how he would survive his trip home. He didn't have much time to think, because soon after Reem left, there were noises behind him.

Fil turned to see what was causing them, but there wasn't much else to see. He stared out into the distance for a little bit, before turning back to leave.

Fil turned to see a Gumon standing in front of him, staring at straight at him.


	3. A New Friendship

This was the first time Fil had ever met a Gumon. He wasn't sure what to think. His mind raced through a thousand questions to ask, but decide not to overwhelm the creature.

"Hello, there. What are you doing here?" he decided that would be a good starting point. He knew the Moon Grotto was quite far from any of their colonies. He knew all of the locations, or at least the ones that were relatively close. He wondered what this one was doing here so far away.

The Gumon didn't respond, but just continued to stare at him. "Hello?" Fil said, making sure the round creature could hear him. He was fairly certain they had some form of ear, but he couldn't see any on his round body.

After a few awkward minutes, the Gumon grumbled something, which Fil figured was his native language. The Gumon then jumped down a pit, and beckoned Fil to join. Fil looked down to see a long, vertical tunnel that went down to who knows where. Fil's hands started to shake, and he felt his heart beat faster. After a few minutes, he bent down, and readied himself for the climb down.

The climb was a lot longer than Fil anticipated. Even though he couldn't see the bottom, he never expected any caves that could go so deep. It seemed as though the Gumon had made this trip numerous times, as he seemed climb down without even looking. It swung from ledges, and made enormous leaps from wall to wall with such grace. It was almost strange to see a creature of his size and weight move so fluently.

After what seemed a long time, Fil started to hear banging echoing in the caverns. Almost like a mass of boulders mashing together. Which, with two siblings of enormous strength, was a common thing to hear.

Not long after, they reached what he could only assume was the Gumon's destination. After crossing an unusual bridge, they stopped at a machine. It held out his hands to show off the machine, which was most likely his.

Fil looked at it, fascinated by the whole thing. The metallic object was completely foreign to him, and he wondered what it did. It didn't seem to have any moving parts, and it didn't have any openings. It was quite large, filling a good portion of the room they were in, which wasn't large to begin with. There was still that omnipresent glow, which gave the machine an attractive shine.

The Gumon seemed pleased that Fil was enjoying it. It handed Fil a cone which was attached to the machine by a flexible hose. Fil grabbed it not sure what to do with it.

"What's this?" he asked, although it seemed pointless, considering it couldn't understand him. As he spoke, he machine whirred to life, and made a grumbling noise, similar in sound to what the Gumon had said. It jumped up and down, excited. It had apparently worked. The Gumon pointed back to Fil, indicating to continue.

Fil was confused for a while. Then it dawned. "This is a translator?" His excitement grew. He was witnessing, and testing, a Gumon invention himself. This was like a dream come true. The Gumon nodded his head, happy Fil was just as excited as he was.

"So, does this work both ways?" Fil asked. He wanted dearly to join the Gumon, and this was his key. While he knew he couldn't be one of them, this was as close as he could get. And to Fil, it was close enough.

The Gumon's cheer quickly left. It shook his head in response, although his look said all.

"I see," Fil said, thoughtful. Suddenly, an idea creeped into his head. He didn't think it would work, but it was worth the risk.

"I don't suppose you would need any help with that, would you?" he said, trying not to make it too pushy. "I mean, I would love to help. If you needed it, of course."

The Gumon looked up, both confused and excited. It didn't expect such a response. It grunted, and Fil assumed it was a 'yes'.

"Alright," he said, "Let's get started!"

Fil and the Gumon, whose name was Gumo as Fil found out, spent the entire afternoon improving the machine. The cave was filled with the sound of mechanical sounds, which were unusually loud above the unusual banging that accompanied it.

There were many challenges along to go along with the Fil grabbed the cone, and handed it to Gumo.

"Let's see how this works," he said, his nerves on edge. Gumo grabbed it and spoke into it. The machine spat out random gibberish. Fil sighed.

"Well, that's not good," he said. Fil was hoping for more, but he was glad it was making progress. It was saying actual words, although they didn't make any sense. Still, he figured any progress was better than none. No need to dwell on the negative.

He figured the Spirit Tree was wondering where he was, so he said goodbye to Gumo and headed back home. He was lost in thought as he climbed up the glowing cavern walls. His mind raced, thinking back on the invention and his new friend. Fil almost didn't hear the gurgling sounds behind his own thoughts, and narrowly dodged another spitball. But not even the danger of the purple mass with their harmful intentions could keep his smile off his face.


End file.
